Abstract
Numerous physiological processes in organisms as diverse as bacteria and man are regulated by a small molecular clock termed the circadian clock. It is present in virtually all cells of the body and enables various physiological processes to occur at specific times of the day and with a period of about 24 hours. It was not until recent years that the role of the circadian clock has become evident for normal physiology of humans as well as other mammals. Disruption of the normal circadian rhythms can lead to a number of metabolic disorders characteristic of modern lifestyle including diabetes, obesity and cancer. It is the aim of this review to give the reader a general overview of what circadian rhythms are, how they look at the molecular level and why they can influence various metabolic processes in the way they do.
Reference85 articles.
1. Acimovic, J., Kosir, R., Kastelec, D., Perse, M., Majdic, G., Rozman, D., Kosmelj, K.Golicnik, M., 2011. Circadian rhythm of cholesterol synthesis in mouse liver: a statistical analysis of the postsqualene metabolites in wild-type and Crem-knock-out mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun,
2. (4), 635–641.
3. Akhtar, R. A., Reddy, A. B., Maywood, E. S., Clayton, J. D., King, V. M., Smith, A. G., Gant, T. W., Hastings, M. H.Kyriacou, C. P., 2002. Circadian cycling of the mouse liver transcriptome, as revealed by cDNA microarray, is driven by the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Curr Biol, 12 (7), 540–550.
4. Aschoff, J., 1965. Response curves in circadian periodicity. Amsterdam, North-Holland.
5. Aschoff, J., 1981. A survey on biological rhythms. New York, Plenum Press.